Korean parents neglected their child due to their addiction to the video game, Prius.
After playing video games for 6-12 hours a day, Mr. and Ms. Kim’s child was left neglected and died from malnutrition in 2010. Ironically enough, the couple spent their entire day playing the game, Prius, where they raised a virtual child named Anima.
Public defender Ji Hoon Lee said, “The couple didn’t realize that the baby will starve to death. Therefore, they had no intent to murder their baby and the child died of neglect.” On that note, the couple was charged with involuntary manslaughter rather than murder. The father faced jail time for one year, while the once again pregnant mother was released without punishment.
Originally, the couple should have been sentenced to five years but their lawyer stated, “Because they have been confined to this virtual world for so long, they were incapable of distinguishing between the virtual and the real…They had become emotionless because of online gaming addiction.” Under the law, the couple was deemed as mentally ill.
Their child Sarang, which also means “love,” died at three months old due to the neglect by her parents. Love Child is a documentary that reveals the tragic death of this child and the parent’s uncontrollable addiction.
Source: Bust
